During a game between the Rangers and the Blue Jays last night, home plate umpire Kerwin Danley left the field on a stretcher after being hit in the head by a broken bat in the sixth inning, according to this story, which reports that Danley was taken to the hospital with a possible concussion.

The injury comes at the start of a season in which Major League Baseball is using upgraded bats. The league announced in December that bats would have their own serial numbers and ink markings so it could track which are more susceptible to breaking. (Thanks to Rosica Strategic Public Relations for noting the issue this morning in a release).

MLB made the move to in an effort to cut down on the number of bats that are broken during games, and in turn, increase safety for players, fans and officials. In a recent study, the league found that more than 2,200 bats broke during a 2-month span last summer. One incident involved a fan getting hit in the head by Todd Helton’s broken bat during a Rockies/Dodgers game. She suffered two jaw fractures.

Andy Vuong joined The Denver Post as a business reporter in 2000 after graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a news-editorial degree. His primary beats are gambling, telecommunications and technology. Over the years, his coverage has included everything from aviation to federal courts.